When you’re his size, one of those delicate, gold jobs simply won’t do. This one looked heavy enough to secure your pit bull.

Byfuglien himself looked a little lighter than when he was last seen in these parts.

And he may have sounded just a little bit hungrier.

In his first media scrum of the season — and last for a month, if he gets his way — the Winnipeg Jets defenceman with the Winnipeg Blue Bomber body acknowledged he changed his off-season regimen, just a tad.

“I was on the ice a little bit more, did what I had to do to come to camp ready to go,” he said, Thursday, Day 1 of training camp easily tucked under his belt.

It wasn’t much. But with Byfuglien, you never get much in this setting. The man has yet to meet a microphone he liked.

Nudged for more, he offered this: “When I was on the ice I just did a little bit more skating. Working on the edges and the stickhandling and the puck movement, just a little bit more than I usually do.”

It looks like he did more than a little.

Then again, I thought he came to camp in great shape last year, too. And by the end of the season we’re told he wasn’t far from tipping the scales into the offensive lineman range.

But this year things might be different.

Byfuglien, it seems, has a new purpose. And it’s bigger than simply staying at a high level for an entire NHL season.

This is about a chance to compete on the world stage of the Olympic Games.

Byfuglien was part of Team USA’s orientation camp in the summer, and the thought of pulling an XXXL American jersey over his head for the first time in his life brought out a little patriotism.

“It'd be nice to take the gold from Canada,” he said, grinning. “It’s something I’ve got to work on. Hopefully I can make it.”

If Byfuglien is as motivated to earn a spot on the U.S. roster as he appears to be, then that little tournament in Sochi in February might be the best thing that ever happened to the Jets.

Because an out-of-shape, disengaged No. 33 is a detriment to an organization trying so hard to develop a culture of being the best you can be, every day.

What kind of message does it send to a blue-chip prospect like Jacob Trouba when arguably your best player is in the worst condition?

Asked about the issue of Byfuglien’s conditioning, Thursday, a smiling Zach Bogosian shrugged off the question.

“I don’t even think Buff worries about Buff,” he said.

Maybe the new Buff does.

After two seasons in Winnipeg, at the age of 28, it appears he’s got the message. Whether due to the lure of Olympic glory, to a stern message from Jets management or simply part of his maturation — or maybe all three — might not matter.

How it affects his game does.

“Same as every year — try to be at the top,” Byfuglien said of his goals this season. “Try to be the best player I can be, and try to take over games.”

I’m not sure he’s ever talked about taking over games before.

As for what the Jets have to do to make the playoffs: “All 20 guys playing every night and battling. Knowing what's at stake and knowing all we want to do is make that first playoff round and it all sets itself up from there.”